simony- once again, in order to pay for the decadent lifestyles of popes and bishops and the construction of monumental buildings, the catholic church sold high church positions (bishoprics, archbishoprics, etc) for large sums. if one was high clergy in the catholic church, it could mean significant financial benefits. in addition, the catholic church claimed that the pope was the head of the church; the word pope does not appear in the bible, a point of great contention with reformers who contended that the only ultimate authority was christ.biblical text which addressed it